magical thinking

"...magical thinking is "a
fundamental dimension of a child's thinking." --Zusne and Jones

According to anthropologist Dr. Phillips Stevens Jr.,
magical thinking involves several elements, including a belief in the
interconnectedness of all things through forces and powers that transcend
both physical and spiritual connections. Magical thinking invests special
powers and forces in many things that are seen as symbols. According to
Stevens, "the vast majority of the world's peoples ... believe that there
are real connections between the symbol and its referent, and that some real
and potentially measurable power flows between them." He believes there is a
neurobiological basis for this, though the specific content of any symbol is
culturally determined. (Not that some symbols aren't universal, e.g., the
egg, fire, water. Not that the egg, fire, or water symbolize the same things in all cultures.)

One of the driving principles of magical thinking is the
notion that things that resemble each other are causally connected in some
way that defies scientific testing (the law of similarity). Another driving principle is the belief
that "things that have been either in physical contact or in spatial or
temporal association with other things retain a connection after they are
separated" (the law of contagion) (Frazer; Stevens).
Think of relics of saints that are supposed to transfer spiritual energy. Think of psychic detectives claiming that they
can get information about a missing person by touching an object that
belongs to the person (psychometry). Or think of the pet
psychic who claims she can read your dog's mind by looking at a photo of
the dog. Or think of Rupert Sheldrake's morphic
resonance. Coincidentally, Sheldrake also studies
psychic dogs.

According to psychologist
James Alcock, "'Magical
thinking' is the interpreting of two closely occurring events as though one
caused the other, without any concern for the causal link. For example, if
you believe that crossing your fingers brought you good fortune, you have
associated the act of finger-crossing with the subsequent welcome event and
imputed a causal link between the two." In this sense, magical thinking
is the source of many superstitions. Alcock notes that because of our
neurobiological makeup we are prone to magical thinking and that therefore
critical thinking is often at a disadvantage. Think of the
post hoc fallacy and the
gambler's fallacy. Think of trying to make sense
of or give meaning to coincidences.

Zusne and Jones (1989: 13) define magical thinking as the
belief that

(a) transfer of energy or information between physical
systems may take place solely because of their similarity or contiguity in
time and space, or (b) that one's thought, words, or actions can achieve
specific physical effects in a manner not governed by the principles of
ordinary transmission of energy or information.

Other sciences have led us away from superstition and
magical thinking; parapsychology, on the other
hand, tries to lead us into it. Dean Radin (1997), a foremost apologist for
parapsychology, notes that “the concept that mind is primary over matter is
deeply rooted in Eastern philosophy and ancient beliefs about magic.”
However, instead of saying that it is now time to move forward and give up
the magical thinking of childhood, he rebuffs “Western science” for
rejecting such beliefs as “mere superstition.”